Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority is delighted to announce it has been awarded almost £1million from the Welsh Government’s Nature Networks Fund to continue vital curlew recovery work, delivered in partnership with the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape.

The Nature Networks Fund is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government, and is a programme that aims to strengthen the resilience of Wales' protected sites and accelerate nature’s recovery.

This investment strengthens the momentum of curlew conservation within Bannau Brycheiniog, at a critical moment for one of Wales’s most threatened breeding birds, building directly on the achievements of the Curlew Connections Wales project.

Curlew Connections Wales, also funded through the Nature Networks Fund, was a three‑year partnership led jointly with the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Over the past three years Curlew Connections Wales has worked with farmers, volunteers, ecologists, researchers and the wider community to better understand and protect curlews across the Welsh landscape, the project will come to an end on 31 March 2026.

Curlews are charismatic, ground nesting, long-lived birds that breed on farmland and moorlands across Wales during the spring and early summer months. Recognised by their long, downcurved bill, mottled plumage and distinctive call, UK populations are in steep decline because they are not producing enough fledged chicks to sustain their numbers. Very few eggs and chicks make it through to adulthood every year, meaning the birds are in long-term population decline and the curlew is now considered to be the bird of highest conservation concern in Wales. The new project will take a landscape‑scale approach to curlew conservation, applying the extensive learning gained through the Curlew Connections Wales project.

A key focus of the next phase will be continued collaboration with the farming community, whose support has been instrumental in monitoring nests and predators, improving habitat conditions and enabling practical conservation actions on the ground. Specialist advisors will help deepen understanding of curlew ecology, while volunteers and members of the public will continue to play an important role through community engagement, survey work and data collection. The project will also support farmers in shaping sustainable recovery frameworks
for curlew recovery.

“We are thrilled to receive this support from the Nature Networks Programme, securing three more years of vital curlew recovery work throughout the Park. Working alongside our partners, the farming and local communities we can build directly on the strong foundations laid by the Curlew Connections Wales project. Protecting this species is a conservation priority for Bannau Brycheiniog and this next phase gives us real confidence for the future of this iconic bird.” 

Brad Welch, Land Use and Nature Recovery Manager at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority

This next stage of funding was proudly announced at the Hay Festival at the end of May, with speeches from Nicky Davies - Ecologist at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Dr. Paul Sinnadurai – Senior Ecologist at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and Rhun Jones – Team Leader/Senior Ranger from the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape.

This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.